Best of France and Italy 2009

While we here at Californiaclassix love all classic cars just like a mother loves all of her children, cars from France and Italy have a special place in our heart as they are so distinctively different.

The homelands of Renoir and Michelangelo have blessed us with some of the most elaborate and gifted artists in the automotive world. Names like Bugatti, Citroen, Deutsch-Bonnet, Franay, Saoutchik, Voisin, and Zagato come to mind and are just a few examples among so many who have created automotive avantgarde and designs that have withstood the challenges of time so beautifully.

Many details found only on French or Italian cars show the artists' touch and emphasis of beauty in everything, from a rather simple Bakelite light switch to an engine-turned shifter housing, all the way to a rounded, almost erotic-looking stainless steel bumper. The British, German, and American cars of the area have their own charme, but theirs is quite different from the Frankophile.

So when "The Best of France and Italy," one of our favorite cars shows here in Southern California, held its 9th meeting on Sunday, November 1, 2009, we were there early, watching some of the most beautiful cars to arrive.

Arrays of Citroens, Fiats, and Alfa Romeos provided the background for more exotic machinery. Show highlights include Jay Leno's 1937 Bugatti 57S Atalante, one of 17 cars made, featuring an aircraft-style, riveted aluminum body, a 1950s Maserati factory racer with an hand-hammered aluminum body and a history going back to the Grand Prix of Brazil, a couple of Deutsch-Bonnets, a full-fledged Abarth 850TC Corsa ex-racer, and even a truthful replica of a Maserati Birdcage that took the retired owner 9 years of his life to build.



Use this link to view the 24-photo presentation on Californiaclassix.com's Web site.